Switching device



W. W. THOMPSON. swncmnc DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APR-12. 1919 Patented June 21, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

SWITCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. I919.

1,382,029. Patented June 21, 1921.

3SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENTOFFICE,

1 WIL IAM w. rnonrsomor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCHING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 1921;

Application nid Apri1 12, 1919. Serial No. 289,533."

To all 'whom it. may 0mm.-

Be it known that I, WVILL AM so1\ a citizen of the United States, residing at (lhicagoi in the county of Cook' and State of'Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Switching Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, cone cise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification. My invention relates to Signaling systems and has for its objectthe provision of a signaling system. which may be used on telegraph lines or other lines already provided:

with signaling or similar instruments. I

The object of my invention is to provide signaling means which are of such achark acter thatthey can be placed upon lines of this general nature and perform theirfunctions uninfluenced by the functioning of the other devices upon theline, andin turn performingtheir functions without influencing these other devices-which are upon the line. In those c'aseswhere myinvention is applied to a telegraph line, Whose instruments usually operate by low frequency cu'rrent'impulses, and which line may also serve for telephonic purposes, my improved signal rec'eiving device would beso constructed as to be responsive to afrequency' above the frequency of the telegraphic impulses. The de vice may then be soarranged thatitresponds at afrequency lower than that: of the tele-. phonic current or it may be so' 'adj usted that the weak telephonic currents, eventhough of a fre uency ealculatedto operate mydevice, woul leave itfuninfiuenceddue to'theirlack of strength.v Under such conditions I find it quite practical to arrange my signal receivingdevice so thatrit is responsive to a current furnished from a transformer coil havlng, primary and secondary windings,

the primary windinghaving a; vibratory element .ln its circuit in addition to a battery. Sucha signal sending device is commonly. used in connection with telegraphones, by: which 'I mean telephone instru ments adapted for. operationupona tele gra hline.

"f y improved signal receiving device is arranged to properly respond to such a signaling current, suchsignaling current being of a frequency higher than. would operate the telegraph instruments'upon the line.) 1].

W. THOMI I will describ this particular form which? my invention may take more in detailby referrlng to the accompanying drawings, in which o Figure 1 is a front view of a signal receiv-- 1ng dev1ce constructed in accordance with my, nvention as mounted in a box;

F 1g. 2is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 8 Fig. 2;

Fig. 1 is a sectional view on line 1'4L,of Fig. 1 and i l i Fig. 5 isa diagrammatic view illustrating aform of circuit arrangement. I Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, I show a signal box 10 having a plurality of binding posts 11, 12, 13', 14, 1 5' and 16. which box may be provided with the customary" cover 17. A condenser 18 is mounted within the box and also a relay 19. There is further mounted in this box a vibratory contactcontrolling device 20 forming part of my improved signal receiving device. The relay 19 has an armatur 21 providedwith: a contact 22 which cooperates with a fixed contact 23. A suitable front stop 24: is provided. This relay operates in connection. with the vibratory'contact controlling device 20. f V f i To more readily understand the functions to be performed by these various devices, willexplain the circuit conditions involved by referringmore particularly. to Fig. 5, in:

is a sectional view on line 33 of i which two line wires 25 and 26 are illusdicated at 27and 28. A telegraphone 29 is I also shown connected to the line, only one, such telegraphone being shown as typical of a number which are connected to the same 7 line circuit. This telegraphone has thetalking instrumehtalitiesBO and the signaling instrumentalities 31. the signaling instrumenta-lities lncluding the primary winding 32, secondary winding 33 and vibratory con troIeleinent 34 movable in response to, the

energizations of the coil 32,1; battery35 and a key 36. Whenever the key 36 is depressed,

high frequency currents are transmitted over the line circuit, as will be readily apparent. These high frequency currents are designed 110 volt circuit.

to actuate the signal bell 37 which forms part of my improved signal receiving circuit structure 38. The structure 38 with the exception of the bell 37 is illustrated in detail in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. It will be noted that the vibratory signal controlling device .20 includes a diaphragm 39 having a contact 40 which cooperates with a second contact 41 carried by a movable arm 42 pivotally mounted at 43 and moved to its normal position by the spring 44. The relay 19 has its circuit normally closed and is energized through the agency of a source of current 45 which is herein illustrated as a battery, but which in the preferred form is the regular The circuit of the relay 19 thus extends from the source of current 45 by way of conductor 46, relay 19, conductor 47, arm 42, contacts 41 and 40, diaphragm 39, conductor 48, to the source of current 45. As the contacts 40 and 41 are normally closed, the relay 19 normally maintains the circuit between the elements 22 and 23 open so that the bell 37 is normally not operating. The bell 37 is included in a local circuit including the battery 49, the contacts 22 and 23, and the armature 21.

Now, whenever a high frequency current of the character emitted by the signal sending device 31 travels over the line circuit, this high frequency current vibrates the diaphragm 39, thus breaking the contacts be tween the elements 40, 41, in accordance with the vibrations of the diaphragm 39. These rapid breaks and makes of the circuit through the elements 40 and 41 are sufliclent to cause the relay 19 to release its hold upon the armature 21 and to maintain a permament closure between the contacts 22 and 23 during the time of the vibrations of the diaphragm 39. The winding of the relay 19 is such that there is a very small flow of current therethrou gh (in the particular instance under discussion about four milliamperes) and the momentary breaks in the circuit are sufiicient so long as these breaks continue to prevent the relay 19 from drawing up its armature 21.

It will be understood that the high frequency current emanating from the device 31 can not satisfactorily directly actuate the relay 19 which directly controls the bell or signal receiving device 37 for the reason that if these currents were of a sufiicient strength to cause the relay 19 to attract its armature, that then the armature 21 would chatter and there would be no certainty that the vibratory signal 37 would respond with any degree of definiteness to indicate the receipt of a signal. This is true of all local circuits where there are two vibratory elements, as interference between them is the usual rule.

It will be understood, of course, that the signal receiving device 37 may be replaced by a telegraph sounder or other similar instrument, in view of the fact that the relay 19 permits permanent retraction of its armature during the period of vibration of the diaphragm 39.

l\ y invention further contemplates a peculiar construction of the vibratory signal receiving device 20 in order to make it most effective for the particular kind of current emitted by devices such as the device 31.

By referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the device 20 includes a casing 50 having an annular collar 51 screw threaded thereto and clamping in position the dia phragm 39. This diaphragm as already explained, carries a contact element 40 to cooperate with a contact element 41 carried upon the arm 42. lVithin the casing electromagnets 52 are provided which when energized by fluctuating or intermitting current vibrate the diaphragm 39 in harmony with such fluctuations or alternations. The arm 42 is pivotally mounted as indicated at 43 and is under the control'of the spring 44 which tends to move it in a contra-clockwise direction (Fig. 1). This spring has its right hand extremity secured to a cord 53, which cord is wound up by means of the finger piece 54 so as to adjust the tension of the said spring. The arm 42 likewise carries a thin leaf spring 55 which is fixedly mounted upon the upper extremity of this arm 42 and this thin leaf spring has its tension con trolled by the set screw 56. These two adj ustnients make it possible to secure the particular kind of vibratory movement between the contacts 40 and 41 that is necessary in order to secure the proper operation of the relay 19. The advantages of this device will be readily apparent in that non-interfering multiple signaling may be carried on over the ordinary telegraph circuit.

My invention of course is applicable to a multitude of uses and its illustration herein as designed to effect the ultimate operation of the signaling bell 37 must not be confined to limiting it to such particular use.

Having however thus described one form which my invention may take, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A relay of the character described comprising an electro-magnet, a vibratory armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a coiiperating circuit controlling element, andmeans for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong spring and a relatively light spring.

A relay of he character described com prising an electromagnet, a vibratory armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a coiiperating clrcuit controlling element and means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong spring and a relatively light spring acting cumulatively.

3. A relay of the character described comprising an electromagnet, a vibratory armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a cooperating circuit controlling element and means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong spring and a relatively light leaf spring.

4. A relay of the character described comprising an electromagnet, a vibratory armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a cooperating circuit controlling element and means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong coiled spring and a relatively light leaf spring.

5. relay of the character described comprising an electro-magnet, a vibratory diaphragm armature therefor, a circuitcontrollin element movable therewith, a cooperatlng circuit controlling element, and means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong spring and a relatively light spring. 7

6. A relay of the character described comprising an electro-magnet, a vibratory diaphragm armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a cooperating circuit controlling element, a swinging arm uponwhich said cooperating element is mounted, and means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively and a relatively light spring.

7. A relay of the character described comprising an electro-magnet, a vibratory diastrong spring phragm armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a cooperating circuit controlling element, a swinging arm upon which said cooperating element is mounted, and means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong spring and a relativel light spring, said sprin. s acting'cumulatively upon said arm.

8. relay ofthe character described comprising an electro-magnet, a vibratory armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a cooperating circuit controlling element, means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong spring and a relatively light spring acting cumulatively, and means for adjusting the tension of said springs.

9. A relay of the character described comprising an electro-magnet, a vibratory armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a cooperating circuit controlling element, means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong coiled spring and a relatively light leaf spring, a set screw for adjustin the tension of said leaf spring and means %or adjusting the tension of said coil spring.

10. A relay of the character described comprising an electro-magnet, a vibratory armature therefor, a circuit controlling element movable therewith, a cooperating circuit controlling element, means for pressing said circuit controlling elements together, said means including a relatively strong coiled spring and a relatively'light leaf spring, a set screw for adjusting the tension of said leaf spring and means for adjusting the ten sion of said coil spring, said means comprising a flexible member secured to one end of said coil spring, and a member about which said flexible member is adapted to be wound.

, In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th day of April, A. D. 1919.

WILLIAM w. THOMPSON. 

